President William Ruto has pledged to allocate Sh1 billion over three years for the construction of 3,500 classrooms in Nairobi County, addressing the pressing issue of overcrowding in schools.

The President announced this commitment while launching vehicles for education officials at the Kenya Institute of Special Needs Education (KISE).

Nairobi’s rapid population growth has led to an increasing number of students competing for limited educational resources. President Ruto expressed concern about the situation, emphasizing that it is a significant crisis given the city’s population of 4.5 million learners distributed across approximately 200 schools in 17 sub-counties. He stressed the urgency of building additional classrooms to ensure that more children can attend school.

President Ruto informed the National Assembly that he would present a supplementary budget within a week, allocating Ksh1 billion to Nairobi County as part of the national government’s plan to construct 3,500 classrooms. He encouraged collaboration between Nairobi County lawmakers and the Ministry of Education to develop a coordinated plan for classroom construction, involving the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for efficient implementation.

Additionally, President Ruto emphasized the government’s commitment to improving the school feeding program, increasing its funding from Sh1.5 billion to Sh5 billion, with the goal of supporting four million children. He also expressed optimism about the proposals put forth by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms, believing that they will significantly enhance access to quality education for children while addressing equity issues.